Why Mamata Runs A Lonely Path?

Having hedged her bets on Kalam, Mamata has refused to back NCP leader PA Sangma's Presidential hopes.

The Congress meanwhile reached out by pulling up party general secretary Digvijaya Singh for criticizing Mamata's stand on Pranab. Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said, "Mamata Banerjee was, is and will be a close ally of the UPA. I am hopeful that she will take lead in making Pranab Mukherjee victorious in President's race," reported IBN Live.

Mamata is now left with a few choices. Having said a firm no to Pranab Mukherjee, she can now either refrain from voting or side with the NDA, which also appears political improbable as she then would have to pull the plug on the UPA.

Last week Mamata had asked her ministers to launch a spiteful attack on Mukherjee. Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool’s senior vice-president, had said “We do not know, if Pranab babu has ever tried to help Bengal... And that includes his village too that still does not have drinking water or pucca roads,” reported DNA. “Now, people are trying to show that he is a great Bengali,” he added. The Trinamool leaders resorted to such comments to oppose Bengali newspapers that had been running positive stories on Mukherjee ever since the UPA announced his name for the top post.